Confirmation Ministry
6th - 8th Grade, 9th Grade
6th - 8th Grade Confirmation
by Deaconess Katie Freund
We've spent the last year intensively reviewing how we structure confirmation classes and are making changes to our program. A letter has been sent to all families with children in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade, both by email and post. If you have not received these communications, please contact the church office at office@holycrosschurch.org or (847) 367-4060.
Rather than expecting a commitment of three years from each student, instead, they will be asked to fully commit to six weeks. Families can choose which year (or grade level) is best for their child(ren), and there will be a fall and spring session every year to choose from. Both the students and their parents or guardians will sign a participation contract agreeing that attendance at all six sessions is mandatory. Each session will be at Holy Cross on Sunday evenings, from 5 - 8 pm, with food provided.
For the 2023/2024 school year, choose one 6-week session, either in the fall or spring.
Fall 2023 Session Dates:
Registration & Orientation: Sunday, September 10, 5 - 6 pm
Sessions 1 - 6: Sundays, September 17 & 24, October 1, 8, 15 & 22, from 5 - 8 pm, dinner provided.
Affirmation of Baptism: Sunday, October 29 at 10 am worship
Spring 2024 Session Dates:
Registration & Orientation: Sunday, February 4, 5 - 6 pm
Sessions 1 - 6: Sundays, February 11, 18 & 25, March 3, 10 & 17 from 5 - 8 pm, dinner provided.
Affirmation of Baptism: Sunday, March 24 at 10 am worship
See below for Middle School Youth group activities. Please reach out to deaconesskatie@holycrosschurch.org with any questions.
9th Grade Confirmation
by Deaconess Katie Freund
Affirmation of Baptism of 2022/23 9th grade confirmands will be held on Sunday, October 29 at the 10 am worship service.
New! Middle School Youth Group
Wednesday, August 23 - BBQ & Water Wars
Time: 6 - 7:30 pm
Location: Patio
Middle School students! You’re invited to kick off the year with a cookout and water wars! Come for grilled burgers with all of the fixings and sides to go with them!
There will be water cannons, two water balloon sling shots and over 1,400 water balloons for a soaking good time.
More will be shared about the weekly events for this new opportunity for you. If you have questions about the new plan for confirmation that will be discussed as well.
“Middle School Youth Group” is kind of a mouth full. We’re going to need a name for ourselves. If you have ideas for a name, email Pastor Chris at pastorchris@holycrosschurch.org with your idea and we’ll choose as a group before the water games begin!
Fall Schedule
Wednesday, September 20 - Invite Event (Bring a friend for Bowling)
Wednesday, September 27 - Nurture Event (Faith Formation with Bible learning)
Wednesday, October 4 - Nurture Event (Faith Formation with Bible learning)
Wednesday, October 11 - Nurture Event (Faith Formation with Bible learning)
Wednesday, October 17 or 18 - Serve Event (Service Project)
Saturday, October 21 or Sunday, October 22 - Invite Event (Invite a friend for Richardson Corn Maze)
Hey rising 6th through 8th graders! You may have heard we’re changing the way we do Confirmation. We’re also starting a new Middle School Youth Group this coming school year. We’re planning to kick things off with a cookout in August and weekly events on Wednesday nights beginning in September.
Each week will be focused on one of the following types of events:
INVITE – Join us for a fun event or outing and INVITE a friend!
NURTURE – These are faith formation events. We’ll check in, explore a Bible story and pray.
SERVE – We’ll roll up our sleeves for a service project (think like Feed My Starving Children).
At every event we’ll share some snacks, check in with each other and with God! Friends are always welcome at any event! Be sure to mark the above dates on your calendar!
- Pastor Chris
Confirmation: Spring Recap
This year our confirmation class was able to return to our long-standing practice of taking students off site for field trips and service opportunities, and we really went for it! From setting up beds for PADS at Shepherd of the Lakes Lutheran Church, to packing meals for Feed My Starving Children, our kids showed up to serve others.
Their favorite event of the year was a field trip to the Oriental Institute Museum on the University of Chicago campus in Hyde Park. Students did a great job of staying engaged and asking tons of thoughtful questions during our guided tour. They also had the chance to participate in a hands-on workshop identifying replicas of ancient artifacts. Before we even got back to the church we had kids asking if this is a trip we could do again next year!
Our last class off church property was a Walmart shopping night. We had 25 students divided into five teams, each with the PADS "wish list" of items they need to care for our neighbors experiencing homelessness. The kids were given a budget of $150 per team and set loose in the store (with adult chaperones, don't worry). And our kids did great! The final tally included, but was not limited to: 58 single serve meals, 32 kids’ coats, 9 boxes of diapers, 7 sleeping bags, 2 tents, clothing for adults and children, and other food items.
Acolyte Scheduling
by Pastor Bob Davis and Pastor Chris Neptun
Dear Families of Confirmation Aged Students,
We wanted to follow up with you to encourage your Confirmation aged child to participate in worship volunteering as an acolyte at worship. The process is not difficult and is a good way to help involve your child in service to others. At the start of Confirmation, you were all invited to attend an Intro to Acolyting session where the kids were involved in learning about lighting candles and the role of the acolyte. Certainly additional or refresher training can occur if needed. At this juncture, we would like for you to schedule your child for a worship volunteer position as acolyte and the steps to follow are below. Currently, the calendar is posted through Christmas Day. We will open 2023 in November. As always, should you have any additional questions, please feel welcome to contact the church office via email at office@holycrosschurch.org or at (847) 367-4060 and we will be very happy to assist. Thank you!
To schedule volunteer positions:
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If you have activated your Church Community Builder account you should be able to see the available dates/spaces for acolyting by visiting the following link and selecting the service time (8 or 10 am) that you would be interested in having your child serve in: holycrosschurch.ccbchurch.com/goto/scheduling
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Once you select the date you would like to connect to, click on that date and the worship plan will appear.
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Click on the blue text “add volunteers” underneath the Acolytes heading and then you may type your student's name into the “Search People” line and their name will appear.
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You will see a grey circle with their initials, their full name with the grey word “Available” underneath and a box on the right hand side. Click the box to check the mark and then click the blue box “ADD” to accept that position on that date.
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Should you have any trouble… you may pick a date(s) and time of service and contact the church office ahead of time to assist you, but the process is fairly simple.